


Dreams of Coffee and Empty Calories.

by theprotagkinnie (threeinthemorning)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barista Hajime Hinata, Cute, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gas Station Attendant Nagito Komaeda, Komaeda Nagito Is Not Ill, M/M, More will be added or so help me god, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Strangers to Lovers, They're Psychology Majors, Unfinished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threeinthemorning/pseuds/theprotagkinnie
Summary: Nagito works the nightshift at a gas station down the road from his favorite cafe so he can afford his apartment in the middle of the city. The highlight of his day is when a certain brown-haired beauty comes into the gas station for just one thing. A plain black coffee. Otherwise, his life is completely utterly normal and inconsequential.At least, that's what he thinks.What Nagito isn't aware of, however, is just how much his life means, not only to the tentatively made friends from the cafe, but to one brown haired barista as well.Or, Alternatively:DR2 characters but its a soft(ish) coffee shop/college AU
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, Nanami Chiaki/Sonia Nevermind, Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham
Comments: 7
Kudos: 76





	1. The Angel in a Pit of Despair

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so... I'm really bad at keeping up consistent writing but I really REALLY love this story cause it is the brainchild of me and my lovely boyfriend, so hopefully I can keep this up for everyone. Enjoy~!

Every night, Nagito dreamt the same dream. He started on what, at first, seemed like a pleasant beach filled with palm trees, silky tan sand, and vibrant blue waves, gently crashing on the shore for as far as his eye could see. It was calm, the cool sea breeze brushing past him gently, like the embrace of his mother. There were other people on the beach, laughing, dancing, playing around in the ocean, even playing volleyball. 

At that moment, the world was filled with endless hope, and Nagito was fortunate enough to bear witness to it. Of course, it never lasted for more than a few minutes before _she_ appeared. 

One moment he stood isolated on the beach, the nearest people to him being a pair of highly athletic teenagers engaged in an intense game of volleyball about thirty feet down the shore from him, shouting joyously. The next, a sharp pain radiated from his left shoulder. When he turned his slate green eyes in alarm, he was met with a glamourous looking girl with her long, pointy red nails digging into his shoulder. From the side, her oversized strawberry lemonade pigtails hid the majority of her features from his prying eyes. Even without being able to see more than her obstructed side profile and pale boney hand, digging crescents into his skin through his jacket, Nagito could feel the pure despair rolling off of her in waves. 

The scene changed from one filled with hope and laughter within a second, enough to give Nagito whiplash, no matter how many times the sensation has rolled over him throughout the years. The laughter, music, even the roar of the ocean fizzled out like white noise. The ocean breeze became bitter and biting against his cheeks, no longer comforting. When the messy-haired boy turned back to the beach, the sight was closer to hell on Earth than anything he had ever seen before. 

The vibrant colors of the Earth had become sickly in hue. The ocean was still. A deflated volleyball bounced on the stained sand sadly, rolling to a stop in front of the corpse of the tan female athlete, whose body was barely recognizable.

The scene reeked of death and despair. Somehow, Nagito was the only one spared.

At that point, Nagito grasped onto the thin wrist of the woman, who was undoubtedly the cause of the disaster, wrenching it off his shoulder and sprinting off in the opposite direction. As he fled the beach, the only sound he could hear was a burst of shrill, maniacal laughter from behind him, cutting through the air like a throwing star.

The scene shifted from the beachside from hell to a dark hallway. Mingling in the hallway were several blank copies of people with scribbles for eyes and auras of defeat surrounding them. As he continued to run down the hall, weaving his way through the crowds without hesitation thanks to his slim frame, Nagito could still feel _her_ presence at his back, gnawing at the edges of his sanity. 

Finally, after what felt like hours of running and dodging and fearing, Nagito saw what appeared to be the door to a classroom or lecture hall cracked open to his right. Without hesitation, he ducked into the classroom, pulling the door closed behind him and sliding down the smooth wooden surface until he hit the floor. The world became muffled around him, and Nagito let himself breathe.

Bad idea.

"Hey, are you alright?" The soft, masculine voice cut through the fuzz surrounding Nagito's mind. In a split second, his eyes jumped up. He met gazes with a pair of mesmerizing bright green eyes flecked with gold, only mere inches in front of his face. He looked like an angel, an aura of golden light surrounding his soft silhouette. 

Around them, candles had flickered to life, lighting up the luxurious classroom, filled with dark wood bookcases and vintage wooden desks. Before he could get a closer look at the suddenly illuminated room, the boy with the striking eyes pulled Nagito's focus back to him with a (surprisingly gentle) hand on his jaw. The boy's mouth opened, concern evident in the furrow between his brows, but no sound reached Nagito. Everything was fading again, his angel included. 

It felt like he was dying, fading into the void of despair that had consumed the dreamscape outside the classroom. Finally, just as his consciousness faded, he heard it again. 

"You'll be okay- I promise!" That voice rang out again, loud and clear. The tone was so reassuring, so sure, Nagito slipped into unconsciousness with a smile lingering on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always appreciate kudos, comments, and constructive criticism! It keeps me going.


	2. Come and Go Cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Business continues as usual for Nagito (ft. a flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... This may or may not be twice the size of the first chapter. Enjoy!!

Blinking sleepily, Nagito grumbled as a razor-thin ray of sunlight snuck through his blinds. No matter how much he hated sunlight in the early morning, the white-haired man had never found enough reason to splurge on a set of blackout curtains. It was too much money to spend on such a small luxury. He was paying for his one-bedroom shoebox in the city with the minimum pay from his job at the gas station so his parent's money could get him through college, meaning sometimes there wasn't even room in the budget for a grocery run, no matter curtains. 

Turning his bleary eyes to the small digital clock on his nightstand, Nagito grumbled to himself. 9:35 AM flashed in bright green LEDs. His morning psych class started in less than 30 minutes, meaning he wouldn't have time to grab a coffee before class unless he wanted to risk his favorite seat for the hour and a half long lecture he would have to endure. 

"Just my luck..." The pale boy stretched his arms straight up in the air as he sat, his shirt riding up his thin torso and exposing his skin to the chilly autumn air. Shivering, he rolled out of bed and slinked over to the pile of clothes he had haphazardly folded in the corner of his room a few nights earlier. Without much deliberation, he pulled off his sleep shirt, throwing it towards his bed and pulling on a deep gray turtleneck, and shrugging on his signature olive green jacket. Hopping into whatever pants he grabbed off the top of the pile, he sped around his apartment doing the mundane tasks he did every morning.

Make the bed, brush teeth, put out food for the stray cats, grab his beat-up laptop, headphones, keys, and bag, and then run out the door. 

It was the same every day. It was like his entire life was continuously on a loop. As he rushed down the street in the direction of his college, he passed a quaint hole in the wall cafe with a small sign dangling above the door that read "The Come-and-Go Cafe". A quick peek inside the window told Nagito that his favorite barista was not working yet. Three people were working at the coffee bar: A girl with light pink hair and sleepy eyes, a boy with short blonde hair that Nagito swore was in one of his criminal history classes, and his friend, Gundham, the eccentric manager who often asked him about the wellbeing of his strays.

No sight of the walnut-colored hair and warm, inviting smile that the snowy-haired boy had come to associate with the sweet boy who often darted around the coffee shop every evening as Nagito walked from the university to work. Of course, he swung by the coffee shop before his unreasonably early classes quite often. More often than not, he would find Hajime sleepily but determinedly helping the morning staff stock pastries and coffee cups with a cup of scalding hot coffee in hand. 

As Nagito swiftly resumed his trek to campus, the cafe lingered in his mind. Ever since moving to the city to attend college, he had always been fascinated with the small coffee shop run by Gundham and friends. He popped in there so frequently that sometimes he was confused as an employee rather than the caffeine-addicted regular he was. 

As he merged into the crowds of students streaming into the main hall, he couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his thin, chapped lips. The cafe was so full of joyous memories that he couldn't help reflecting on them, especially on monotonous days such as today.

"It's weird," he thought, holding the door for a pair of girls with their arms filled to the brim with what appeared to be bolts of different patterned fabrics. "Even some of my worst days have been brightened by the cafe..."

One morning immediately came to mind. It had been a nearly sleepless night for Nagtio as a result of his 5 am shift replacement running late. Thanks to his drafty, under-insulated apartment, he couldn't even get the hour nap he so desperately craved, so he had come into the cafe. He planned to order several shots of espresso and cram in some last-minute studying for an hour before his class started at eight. 

When the little bell above the door tinkled loudly in the relative silence of the sane residents of the snow-covered city still being asleep, four pairs of eyes found him immediately.

The looks on their faces said it all. Nagito could read the confusion, concern, and shock written in their expressions but couldn't be bothered to care as he shuffled up to Gundham at the register. 

"H-ey Gundham... Sorry to bother you so early, but I kind of need my usual with as many shots of espresso as you can add." His voice had been gravely and tired, which certainly didn't help the worry quelling in the secretly kindhearted man's eyes upon hearing his order. 

"I..." He paused, seemingly wanting to ask something but holding himself back, "alright... I can do that, I suppose."

While Nagito was pulling all the bills he could find scrunched up in his pocket, Gundham rang him up and gestured to an unfamiliar face at the time. A boy with fluffy light brown hair, who had been lingering off to the side with a concerned look on his still sleep laden face, moved swiftly behind the coffee bar.

"Your total will be four dollars and thirty-seven cents." The manager's deep voice shocked the sleepy Nagito enough that he nearly dropped the change from his hands. 

"That... seems quite cheap. Are you sure that's my total? That's cheaper than what my normal drink is-" When his eyes met with the slate grey eyes of the other, he knew for certain that something was up.

"Gundham- Did you-?" The shock and realization must have slipped past his mask, somehow, because Gundham cut in within a second of Nagito opening his mouth.

"Just give you the friends and family discount? Yes. You are obviously exhausted, and have been a loyal patron to this shop for months now. Take the discount! It is nothing in comparison to the profits we make every week thanks to you sleep deprived education seekers!" There was no room for argument, and with a sigh of reluctance, Nagito had handed over the crumpled five-dollar bill.

Insisting Gundham keep the change, Nagito had turned his attention to the employee making his caffeine ridden latte. Both Sonia and Chiaki had worked at the caffeine since before Nagito had come to town, finding their way to working in Gundham's small yet cozy coffee shop. They were both sweet girls and great baristas. This boy who stood spaced out as the latte dripped into the paper cup, however, was new. It was evident from his well-ironed shirt to his relatively unsullied black shoes. 

He was easy on the eyes, and that was all Nagito thought about him until he was pulled from his head by a voice that was undoubtedly not Gundham saying his name.

"U-Um... Nagito, right?" The boy had spoken, his voice quiet despite the loud sounds of the whirring coffee machines. 

"Hm? Oh. Yes. That's me." He turned and squinted his jade-green eyes so he could see the white nametag pinned to the other's black apron. "Hajime...? Hm, that's a nice name." He had blurted out, his brain-to-mouth filter offline at that moment.

"Oh! Uh, thanks." There was an awkward moment of silence before Nagito fully realized that Hajime was, in fact, holding out a paper cup with his name scribbled across it.

Chuckling awkwardly, the shakey man grasped the cup with both hands, careful not to brush up against the other. "Sorry, I'm a bit out of it... Early mornings, you know?" His forced casual tone didn't do much to erase the awkward moment from just seconds before, but weirdly the other boy didn't seem to mind that much.

"I'm not doing much better than you, honestly. I'm three cups in already, although I don't think it comes anywhere near the amount of caffeine in... that." The look on Hajime's face was hysterical to Nagito. It was as if the drink had just called him every nasty name imaginable; with disdain filled eyes and adorably puffed out cheeks, it was quite a sight to behold.

" _That?_ Do you mean my coffee?" Amusement tinged his voice as he took a long sip from the sweet, although scalding hot drink.

"That's not coffee. That's a heart attack in a cup!" Hajime refuted, no hint of a joke in his voice.

"Hm... well, I'm still standing." He quirked one albino brow at the other man and couldn't help feeling amused as the barista's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"I- uh- y-yeah, but for how long?" Came the eloquent reply.

"Hopefully long enough to get through my victimology exam in..." He paused to turn and look at the ornate clock hung above the door. "Fifty minutes. After that, we'll see." 

"Alright, well, I uh- probably shouldn't keep you from downing that monstrosity..." Hajime rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, seemingly embarrassed. 

_"Interesting..."_ He thought. Interesting indeed.

"Yeah- I better get some last-minute cramming in, although if I'm being honest I'll probably retain a few sentences if I'm lucky!" and with that, Nagito shot a tired but genuine smile at the other and retreated to the small table in the corner, unobtrusive as always.

The cafe became busier as the minutes passed, and was starting to fill up just as Nagito packed up, shooting Gundham a nod and smiling to Hajime, who was mopping the up slush dragged in from the snow outside before ducking out the door. 

Nagito was brought out of his musings about the past as he entered the lecture hall with a rowdy group of friends. God, he hated morning people. How dare they be able to have fun in the morning while he suffered?

With a sigh, he slid into the seat at the table he had become partial towards throughout the semester. As the mousy professor set up a PowerPoint of some sort at the front of the room, Nagito meticulously set up his notebook and searched his pockets until he found a pen. He had to pay attention, no matter how much he wished he could be doing anything else.

Sure, psychology was his passion, but nothing caught his attention like the quirky, expressive barista whom he had come to know quite well over the months since that one late winter morning. 

What could he say? Something about Hajime, with his messy hair and expressive eyes, had enthralled him from the start. 

With that, Ms. Usami called for attention, and Nagito forced himself to try and concentrate despite the pair of piercing eyes he couldn't stop thinking about. It nearly felt as if Hajime was next to him instead of likely sleeping at home on his morning off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love on the first chapter! I couldn't help myself and posted this today, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with the daily posting with my school schedule! 
> 
> Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated! I feed off of knowing that you guys are enjoying whatever this is, haha.


End file.
